A study was done of college students' perceptions of their own consumption of alcohol and their perception of their alcohol-related problems. The study surveyed 92 undergraduates students from a public college in northeastern United States. The sample was limited to students between the ages of 18 and 22. Fifty-four percent were female, and 46 percent were male. Forty-nine percent were members of a fraternity or sorority. However, the majority (54 percent) lived at home; 41 percent lived in dormitories; and 5 percent lived independently. Findings indicated that membership in a fraternity or sorority was associated with both higher rates of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Students living in college dormitories had higher levels of drinking than students who lived at home. With levels of drinking controlled, students who were members of a fraternity or sorority and whose parents more often drank heavily perceived that they themselves had more alcohol related problems. Parental drinking alone did not predict level of student drinking nor did gender or age. The data supported the position that environmental and situational factors encountered during the college years play an important role in determining young adults' drinking patterns. Included are 30 references and two tables. (JB)